This invention relates to utility brushes, and especially to those types of utility brushes which include an internal reservoir for holding a supply of cleaning fluid. Particularly it relates to suction pump type utility brushes whereby the operation of the suction pump facilities the rapid filling of a fluid into the reservoir.
The cleaning of various objects, such as cars, building windows and other structures usually involves the use of a brush and a cleaning fluid, such as soapy water. Normally soapy water is held in a bucket and the cleaning brush is dipped into the bucket to take up the soapy water onto the bristles of the brush. This technique is time consuming and must be repetitively performed as the brush bristles retain only small amounts of the water necessitating the repeated dipping.
A reservoir brush has been taught by Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,517,152. This brush incorporates a reservoir into the brush head structure itself, does not have a handle and does not have a piston.
Cellini, U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,031, and Whitehouse U.S. Pat. No. 946,832, each teach a brush having a hollow cylindrical handle with a piston operating therein. However, neither patent teaches or suggest the side extending piston operating handle or a valving operation which defines two port sizes, a large one for filling under vacuum and a smaller one for emptying at other times.
Brooks, U.S. Pat. No. 2,379,421, McCickor, U.S. Pat. No. 1,453,152, Bolsey U.S. Pat. No. 2,737,329, Boral, U.S. Pat. No. 2,391,385, Hjorth U.S. Pat. No. 1,634,618, Kingman et al. U.S. Pat. No. 1,953,940 and Stein German Pat. No. 279,982, all show self filling fountain pens having a barrel reservoir with a piston for drawing in ink. However, these fountain pens show nothing which has not already been shown by Cellini who has incorporated a piston in the handle of his brush which is connected to his brush head.
Pickering U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,367, shows a cartridge loaded pressure feed toothbrush which includes a plunger in the hollow handle of a toothbrush. The plunger of Pickering is not designed to come in contact with or to draw in toothpaste or any fluid or solution, but is merely designed to compress a prefilled cartridge. No valving is shown or suggested.
A pending patent application on a utility brush, Ser. No. 252,761, filed Apr. 10, 1981, to which a notice of allowance has been issued, shows a hollow handled brush wherein the handle acts as a reservoir for the soapy water. No piston or valving was considered or incorporated into this utility brush. A suction pump reservoir brush is shown in another pending patent application, Ser. No. 276,847, filed June 24, 1981. Allowable subject matter has been indicated. This brush, which has been offered for sale by Moffitt Products, Inc. of Radnor, Pa., includes a hollow cylindrical handle connected to a brush head having a passageway from the bristle side of the brush to the hollow cylindrical handle. A metering screw is adjustable to define the passageway opening side. While this screw is adjustable, it was not intended to be moved or adjusted between vacuum and priming strokes of the piston nor during the operation of the brush where the fluid within the hollow handle is permitted to discharge through the passageway to the bristle portion of the brush head. This suction pump reservoir brush does include a piston mounted within the cylindrical chamber forming the handle of the brush. However, this piston has a handle which operates in a manner similar to that shown in Cellini and the various fountain pen patents; as it extends outwardly from the end of the cylindrical handle. No valve is shown or suggested which would automatically allow a large flow into the cylindrical handle then limit a small flow out of the handle.
The sum teachings of the prior art, including the two pending applications of brush designs, while developing a fluid reservoir brush technology which is a vast improvement over the simple push broom or handled brush bucket-dipping operation does not provide a design which is uncumbersome to operate and which will quickly fill while slowly emptying. This prior technology has relied upon a residual vacuum in the reservoir to cause a slower discharge of the fluid than filling. Often a small vent hole has been used to allow small amounts of air to enter the reservoir chamber thereby attempting to meter the discharge flow rate. However, controlled discharge rates have always been a problem. As a piston wears, the residual vacuum is not as effective. Moreover, a small vent hole control scheme does not preclude air from entering the reservoir through the discharge passageway in the brush head (bubbling fashion).
An object of the present invention is to provide a piston operated reservoir brush where the piston operating handle does not increase the length of the brush handle.
A second object of the invention is to provide a piston operated reservoir brush where the piston handle stroke is convenient for the normal arm movement of someone grasping the brush cylinder handle.
A further object of the invention is to provide such a reservoir brush with an automatically operated metering valve which allows a large volume of fluid to enter the reservoir through the brush head but small volumes to exit the reservoir.
An even further object is to provide this brush with an auxiliary flow controller for adjusting the volumetric flow rate.